Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Is that a catapult in your pocket...?

Just William had one, Dennis the Menace had one, and like thousands of country kids I had one too - a catapult. Mine was a posh Milbro jobbie from the local sports shop (we were the posh kids in the street) but for real cred you had to make your own from a forked branch and a bicycle inner tube.

Don't tell Mark Avery, but I used mine to shoot sparrows to feed my ferrets. And occasionally to shoot something a bit bigger to feed myself.

When I saw the old Milbro catapult for sale on eBay recently I couldn't resist it. And then, like you do, I started reading around the subject and discovered someone called Fish making a stunning 'Hunter' catapult which uses flat bands and fires .44 cal lead balls. Now that could do some serious damage, to my Paypal account for starters!

Listen below to my chat with Airgun World editor Terry Doe, who it turns out was a bit of a catty aficionado in his youth...

3 comments:

Hi James,Talk about a trip down memory lane, funny thing is me old man (79 yrs young) has just re-rubbered (if that's a real term) his old ally framed catty! for the use of 'scaring crows' (he did say this slightly tongue in cheek). Just curious though what's the legal stance on catty's these days?regards,John

i had an old milbro in the 1970's fitted with the black square rubber it was a pot filler for sure! did you know that a genuine milbro fetches over £40.00 on fleabay!!!the hunter came about by my wanting to make an inexpensive catty for some mates,when i had the catt chronographed it turns out it shoots at 210 feet persecond,thats 18ftlb of energy well over the legal limit for an airgun!

Murphyfish,the law is incredably lacking on the subject of the catty,you cant carry one in a public place much as a pointy stick! as for Catapult hunting and UK law:It is completely legal to shoot rabbits with a catapult with the intention to kill. So if you are looking for dinner you can use a catapult, it is legal.

However you must :a. Have permission from the landowner to do so first!b. Be proficient enough to be able to kill, and must use suitable projectiles to ensure this! For example steel ball bearings.c. Intend to kill.

It is also important to note : The Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 which makes it an offence to injure, maim, beat with sticks, torment, burn, wild animals etc. . In other words not to kill but merely to cause suffering. Therefore if you are seen shooting at a rabbit time and time again without killing or stunning the rabbit only hitting it, this could be seen as contrary to this act, and would need to answer for it, possibly in court. Therefore power, accuracy, using adequate and suitable projectiles, and at a range whereby an accurate shot will kill, is vital to be and be seen to be within the law.

About me

James Marchington is a freelance journalist, photographer and video producer specialising in Britain's wildlife, the countryside and fieldsports. He produces and manages the TSC Clay Shooting channel on YouTube, and his work appears regularly in the shooting press, on The Shooting Show and Fieldsportschannel, and occasionally on his own Youtube channel.

Contact

'Freelance' means what it says - I'm always happy to talk to potential clients about writing, photography and video production. There's no obligation so you've nothing to lose - just pick up the phone and call for a chat.